Parkin Police Department closes indefinitely due to funding

PARKIN, Ark. (AP) - The town of Parkin is now without its own police force.

Cross County Sheriff J.R. Smith tells KAIT-TV (https://bit.ly/1qxVhay ) that his department will immediately take over the duties in Parkin.

Former Parkin Police Chief Charles Wilson says his department received a letter from Mayor Willie Patterson on Thursday, citing lack of funding as the reason for its closure. Wilson says 10 officers and four dispatches were laid off.

Mayor Patterson declined the television station’s request for comment except to say the city was “struggling,” and the department was closed “indefinitely.”

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Information from: KAIT-TV, https://www.kait8.com/